We recently connected with Michael Sartain and have shared our conversation below.

Michael , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I was working in a nightclub, and I had a degree. I watched 9/11 happen, and I saw several of my fraternity brothers join the military right after it occurred. They just wanted to serve their country, and it was one of those things that felt right to me. I didn’t even ask my parents; I just joined. It took me a year and a half to get in. Well, more like a year and four months to get in. I wish there was a more complicated answer. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time.Oh, but it’s probably the best decision I ever made. I got to serve in the U.S. military for seven years.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The problems I solve for my clients involve helping them level up in leadership, networking, communication, and dating. What makes my course unique is that we use an evolutionary approach to explain why people act the way they do.

There’s no pseudoscience involved; it’s actual empirical experience, supported by data from thousands of hours of study by experts. We put those elements together to create the most comprehensive self-help course in history for men.

I experienced a significant turning point when my father passed away in 2006; he was killed by a drunk driver. I went through a very low point in my life and initially treated myself like a victim. Eventually, I realized I didn’t have to stay in that mindset. A friend recommended the book The Power of Now, which helped me understand the importance of taking responsibility for my life rather than blaming others. This realization was extremely helpful in figuring out what I wanted to do.

I noticed in the self-help industry that many people in the dating space lacked an understanding of leadership or communication. A lot of individuals in the pickup space didn’t grasp networking concepts, and those in the self-improvement space—like Tony Robbins—often lacked understanding of the modern dating landscape. Additionally, many in those spaces had little knowledge about biohacking, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and exercise, and very few in the entrepreneurial realm had any grasp of leadership. I realized that from an evolutionary perspective, all these elements fit together. The same traits that make someone high status when building a brand are also the qualities that make them attractive to the opposite sex.

I put all these pieces together, drawing on over 20 years of my own experiences, which led to the creation of the first Men of Action course.

I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve had 2,500 men go through the course. I’m extremely proud that some of them stay with us for four years, returning just to help others.

I’m especially proud of the network we’ve created, where men support one another and hold each other accountable, providing valuable feedback.

Another aspect I’m proud of is seeing men who were in very deep, dark places—some even considering taking their own lives—transform into individuals with much better self-esteem and an understanding that they have the agency to make improvements.

We also have a weekly call on Tuesdays that lasts about three hours, where all the guys share their wins and accomplishments. I take great pride in that.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I think social media strategies depend on the kind of brand you’re trying to build, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.

If you’re trying to build a brand, it needs to demonstrate relevance, competency, access to scarce resources, and high status. One or all of these elements are essential for building a social media presence. It’s very different if I’m a plastic surgeon or an attorney compared to being a model, for example.

One of the easiest ways to build a brand, if you’re not a photographer or a model, is through podcasting, like I did. You can create clips from podcasts, participate in panel shows, and use both long-form and short-form content. Long-form could be a panel show on Zoom or a live event. Sometimes you can see people doing man-on-the-street videos or reaction videos. There are also direct-to-camera prompts, where someone off-camera asks you a question and you respond, similar to how Alice from Ozzy does it.

I think these are effective ways to build a brand with that kind of content.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Finding intrinsic reasons to motivate your team, figuring out what their why is, but it can’t just be money. In fact, the more money is involved, a lot of times the more intrinsic motivation goes away.And then also creating a culture where people want to go to work; they don’t feel obligated to go to work. They actually really enjoy it. My team has several group chats where we’re telling jokes to one another, and it’s a very clear culture. I hear nothing but positive things. My team really loves being around each other. So, I think those are the two things: intrinsic motivation, number one, and number two, a group culture of people enjoying participating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moamentoring.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelsartain/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelSartain/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsartain
• Twitter: https://x.com/SartainPodcast?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelSartain